Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-11-21
THE CRUSADES.
AL interesting Picture Of Them BY Hon
Seth L. Milfkep,
now the Spirit Of that Epoch compar.,
with thar Of Modem Time.

e mere present brief extract from ths
uie OF Hon. Seth L. Milliken. delivered
An Meonlan Hall, Nov. 10, which was croxd.d
out of our last issue
Inc speaker addressed the a,d;anoo g..
. .ne moor OF the house, giving as one reasn-
,Ie napit OF SO doing which he had acon;rad
linen -. men vividly portrayed the spirit which
'uateu THIS mighty outpouring of the Wes,
on 'i'e East. he did so by most ant illustr.
Mons, Ior' said he, People choose to lear,
ri 'nustlaolon rather than by argument.
speaker proceeded to show why sucI
is"y movements as the Crusades eoulf
produced by motor forces, the STRENGTH
"a ot winch we could not adequately realize
wan needs to be devoted to something III
VINO produces nothing is pauper on IN,
human race though he have the wealth of IN,
mules. Every age has its purpose. Tn,
age OF the crusades was not devoted To golc
as ours. Our age is an inventive one unles,
we nave fallen on a newer and worse 81.
should We be buried as Pompeii of old wha
would be the thoughts of future generation,
digglng TO light the patent medicine circul,r,
everywhere present. The era of the crusade,
SHOWS no inventive power even in warfare
benoese sailors were even hired to cons,ruc
the besieging engines before Jerusalem
Al uih' however possess capacities 70,
heroism and fanaticism. Whoever tries n
aethrone God in the heart of man and thu.
deprlves him Of the noblest subject for de.
'otion commits dastardly deed He take,
away the great prop of humanity. Peter the
hermit dealt with people who believed that
Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Their,
was no ''nambypambyism." However de-
votional the character of the people nigh,
nave been, two things were necessary to ac
count Tor that motley outpouring of prince
anu peasant, women and children, monk
ana mailed knight. First cause and
secondly man. The ripeness of the spiri
vi the uines furnished the cause. The mar
was found in Peter the Hermit. who
thought himself called of God to ayep o.
the insults of the Holy Sepulchre. Peter
was IN earnest, and how powerful is earnest
ness No orator ever produced a like effect
Fanaticism blinded them to a sense of fail
ure and also afforded the secret of success
There are times that demand fanaticisn
which is only overheated earnestness. Moth
ing else could have produced such a bind
ing code of honor at such a time. There
Is no connection in the mind between
devotion and justice. We need not be sur
prlsed that men on so noble so chivalrous a
mission rs the deliverance of the HOLY
Supulchre should have committed such
enormities as did the Crusaders, that men Owed
in the blood of the Jerusalem massacre should
have so humbly knelt before the shrine OF
their God. They were not hypocrtical. In
deed there is less cold blooded hypocrisy il
the world than one might suppose. The first
attempts of the Crusades were undertaken by
the rabble of Europe. Later came the better
classes. Drift matter often comes to the fore
in the beginning, but sterling qualities are
bound to win. The Crusades came about be
cause the restless spirit of the times demand
ed them. They passed away when no longer
needed. No leader could force their growth
or stop it. 1t is useless to say that Dor
Cervantes killed Chivalry. 1t died natura
death and he erected the tomb
stone. DO not despise tbs
dreams of youth. Dreamers have always
made the best fighters. The Crusaders were
dreamers to the extent that they could die fol
an idea With the weakening of our institu
tons the manhood of the people weakens
Look at the institutions of venal Rome which
jurgutha said was ripe for the purchaser. Are
we ripe for the purchaser? Throughout the
speaker though dealing with a subject of the
past, so deity connected it with the present
by links of comparison as to make it a sub
ject of living interest